Topic: What PS4 Games Are You Currently Playing?

@Barryburton97 Mind if I ask what kinds of games you usually play? Because I've looked at SnowRunner and its ilk before, and am tempted, but am also worried that it'd be too different from my usual fare, and that I'd get bored real quick. Your positive post has me curious.

@RogerRoger sure. Some of my favourite games of the PS4 generation were ones where you can get lost in an interesting open world, performing tasks at your own pace- Death Stranding and Red Dead 2. If you like the idea of a slow paced, relaxing game that immerses you in the wilderness, it might work for you. It does require you to carefully plan your route and choose the right vehicles and specs for the mission. It can be quite punishing of a lack of attention- e.g. your load gets tipped into the river because you let a tyre hang off the bridge, and you have to embark on a rescue mission with a crane to drag it out (which might involve driving said crane for 20-30 mins across the swamp). Tiny mistakes are punished like that, but it's rewarding when you complete a difficult mission. It has quite a cult following and there are loads of guides to help on YouTube and Reddit.

This is a good and short review https://youtu.be/OQZOvTHTd08

So I’ve kind of been feeling like playing an open world Ubisoft game lately.

So I started up AC: Origins…never have I ever gone so sour with a game. I was aware of the XP boosters & the ‘time savers’, but I refuse to spend money on them. Knowing this I used my ability points only on passive skills that increase my level as main missions are level gated.
The epilogue was great & by the time I got to the final main mission within the epilogue I was 2 levels above. Thought I was doing great…get to the main game & the next mission is 5 levels above the previous one (I was 3 behind). The main areas are all level gated which means I can’t enter them.
I figured the game would want me to explore, but everything 2 hit KO’s me & I do no damage.
What a scummy move by Ubi to force people to buy these timesavers. I knew it was bad, but thought people were exaggerating, but it really is that bad. Going to keep playing but won’t give them the satisfaction of buying their shortcuts.
/rant over

@Fight_Teza_Fight Obviously not saying you're wrong or anything, and I would never buy the crap either, but I never really had issues where I felt like I was literally being forced to buy their extra crap to progress in the game. Granted they could have patched it between a few months after release and now, but my experience with the game was far more positive.

@Fight_Teza_Fight I’m honestly surprised by that. I didn’t even know there were timesaver things in that game, the levelling felt really natural imo.

@Barryburton97 Really appreciate the reply, and the link! Honestly, it sounds equal parts interesting and frustrating to me, so I might keep an eye out for its inclusion in a sale, just in case. There are days when I could definitely lose myself in the kind of gameplay you're describing, and the sense of reward sounds infectious, but there are also gonna be times when wasting thirty minutes to correct a split-second error would drive me up the freakin' wall. The review you linked didn't mention this, but can you save and reload whenever you want? I'd feel a bit safer knowing that, instead of being forced to mount a rescue mission, I could use a few well-timed quicksaves to take a second shot at any given route.

@RogerRoger it has an auto save system only I think, however, if you make a big mistake you can usually hastily close the game and if lucky you'll restart just before you meet your doom.

That said, rescues and problem solving is a core part of the game. Makes it more tense and interesting. You just have to let go of any hopes of smoothly and quickly getting the missions done.

@Barryburton97 @Fragile Ah, okay. Good to know, cheers! Will definitely factor that thought in, then. I guess the only time it'd really frustrate me is if I had a limited gaming window, and accidentally doubled my expedition's duration because I was rushing and made a mistake. If it's a super-chill game, though, then perhaps it'd be best saved for days when I know my time is my own. Thanks!

@nessisonett Yep the time savers are a real thing. You are given 200 Helix credits which is gets you the cheapest thing (a bit of money). You can straight up by ability points (3 at a time). However, I just filled out the map a fair bit for a couple of hours & even though I’m still under-leveled it’s become a bit more manageable.

@RogerRoger if you're curious about Snowrunner then I'd say give it a go when it's next on sale, it's a nice change of pace and quietly addictive.
Initial failures feel quite demoralising, but you soon realise that failures and recovery are just the game. The mission hasn't doubled from 30 to 60 mins, it's just a 60 minute mission and that's fine.

@Barryburton97 Yeah, that's a much better way of looking at it. Thanks for putting it like that, and for chatting with me about the game! If I grab it and try it, I'll let you know my thoughts!

@Keith_Zissou If memory serves, "Traitor's Caravan" is the mission in which the truck contains a rather nasty surprise, yes? I'm being vague, just in case it isn't, but I freakin' love that mission! Came up with a foolproof way to beat it which I was rather proud of, as well. Glad you're rediscovering the game!

@Keith_Zissou Apparently yes, heading to the airport first is the quickest, most preferred strategy, but I only learned that later, when checking my own approach online. I actually intercepted the convoy at a small checkpoint in the countryside, after it had gotten underway, and got close enough to trigger the Skulls' emergence without being detected. They naturally sense Snake regardless, and will slowly shuffle towards him, so I backed well away and laid a ring of C4 at the point where their individual paths would eventually cross. Sat and petted D-Dog for a couple of minutes as they approached, then sprang the trap, watched 'em all get blown up real good, and drove the truck to safety for my S-Rank.

I love how adaptable every mission can be. Your approach sounds real brave!

I've restarted the original HZD (new game rather than NG+) and am enjoying it all over again. Looking forward to finally giving the DLC a go too; I tried it ages ago but it had been so long since I played the base game that I just couldn't get back into it.

I also remember trying the game when it was in Game Club and the frame rate felt so jarring. 60fps on PS5 looks great though!

@Keith_Zissou Oh no, I'm not that elite! That particular tactic was more because I was really scared of the creepy Skulls, and desperate not to engage them with my default loadout, which was almost entirely non-lethal, save for the C4 and a couple of frag grenades. I was all about collecting as many enemy soldiers as possible, even though I never took my Mother Base online!

The only other "clever" tactic I used was during the sniper battle with Quiet, when I simply tagged her and then called a supply drop on her head, knocking her out cold.

Real glad the game's grabbed you again, though! That really is the beauty of every mission, yeah. There is always another path to victory, another angle from which to approach a problem, or another loadout you can equip to completely change the game. Who's your preferred companion at the moment? Because that makes a huge difference, as well. I'm all about D-Dog, he's so useful.

@Keith_Zissou Oh crikey, if you're aiming for the platinum, best of luck! That'd take some serious dedication and skill, which I'm certain you have, but still...!!

There will be later missions where non-lethal isn't an option, and you'll need to pack some serious heat, so be sure to save some resources in order to research and unlock some of the game's most powerful weapons. D-Dog is definitely the best companion if you're going for pure stealth. I know a lot of people like Quiet, but she's a bit hit-and-miss (ironically enough) and can do some silly things if not tightly controlled. D-Dog gives you that awareness of enemy placement and then it's up to you how to safely take 'em out, and make sure nobody spots you or, worse, their comrade randomly hitting the dirt.

Started playing 999 just now. It's the first time I'm experiencing the Zero Escape series and so far, it's an incredibly captivating experience. It reminds me a lot of Danganronpa, which shouldn't come as a surprise since both series are made by the same developer. I'm finding the gameplay to be a lot more engaging though due to the "escape" part of the game. You have to examine a room, find clues and solve puzzles in order to escape the room, which is really fun. The characters are unique and memorable as well, just like the ones you'd find in Danganronpa. So yeah, I'm very excited to finally play this game.

@LtSarge 999 is great, enjoy. That was the game that got me into visual novels, so it holds a special place in my heart.

Zero Escape and Danganronpa have similarities, but there's also differences. Fans of one series usually end up liking the other one as well.

@LtSarge Oh nice — 999 is a classic. I like it better than the more popular sequel Virtue’s Last Reward, although VLR was fantastic as well. Interested to see how you like the storyline.

I still need to play the third installment Zero Time Dilemma. I just heard it’s pretty meh. But the first two games are wonderful.

@crimsontadpoles Yeah, as a person who loves Danganronpa, I'm absolutely loving 999 so far. Really cool to be experiencing a new visual novel series since I haven't played something like Danganronpa for years now.

@Th3solution Definitely looking forward to playing the sequel as well. I actually have a physical copy of VLR on Vita and I wanted to play it but then found out that it's part of a series and that I have to play 999 first, so I decided to wait. Got Zero Time Dilemma in my backlog too.